Most popular pet names revealed on National Dog Day

The most popular pet name in the UK is Charlie, according to new research into the names we choose for our animals by Pets at Home.

Published:07:00Friday 26 August 2016

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The most popular pet name in the UK is Charlie, according to new research into the names we choose for our animals by a leading pet store chain.

Pets at Home surveyed more than 800,000 pet owners and found the top 50 most popular names for each pet type.

Whether the pet is a bird, cat, dog, fish, horse, reptile or small animal, Charlie was the clear winner with almost 34,000 of British pet owners choosing this name for their animal friend, topping the list of most common names for birds, cats and horses.

The poll results have been revealed on National Dog Day (Friday, August 26) with the number one name for dogs being Poppy.

Poppy is also a popular name for cats, coming in as the second favourite name after Charlie. Other common selections include Alfie, Bella, Billy and Molly.

George also ranked highly across all species with almost 10,000 of those taking part choosing this name within the top 50, again regardless of pet type, suggesting the young Prince’s influence may not end with toddler fashion and toys.

However, the world of entertainment, particularly children’s cartoons, appear to have had an effect on the names owners select. Bird based film Rio saw the film’s title rank in tenth place for birds, while classic cartoon character name Tweety came in at number 32.

Bestselling book A Cat Called Alfie may have inspired cat owners, with Alfie being the eighth most popular name for cats. Winnie the Pooh fans are meanwhile drawn to Tigger, which ranked at 11 in cat names. Demonstrating that classic films can still influence our decisions, Thumper, who appeared in the 1942 film Bambi, is still the seventh most chosen name for rabbits. Nemo, is the second most popular name for the nation’s fish following Goldie in first.

Gavin Hawthorn, group CRM director, said: “It’s interesting to see that just as popular culture and famous faces influence what we name our children, likewise, these trends can help the nation’s pet owners select a name for their animals.

“It seems likely that children being allowed to name their first animal friend forms a big part of the naming process, particularly among the film and TV inspired monikers.

“However, it also seems that books and even the Royal family are also helping Brits to decide on what to call their pet. Meanwhile Charlie and Poppy scored highly across species, suggesting that cute, traditional names will always appeal when it comes to naming our pets.”